Empty Chairs at Empty Tables
by RushtonLane
Summary: Christopher's past won't leave him alone. (Chapter error now fixed)
1. Chapter 1

_There's a grief that can't be spoken. There's a pain goes on and on. Empty chairs at empty tables. Now my friends are dead and gone. Here they talked of revolution. Here it was they lit the flame. Here they sang about tomorrow and tomorrow never came. From the table in the corner, they could see the world reborn and they rose with voices ringing and I can hear them now. The very words that they have sung became their last communion. On this lonely barricade at dawn. Oh my friends, my friends forgive me that I live and you are gone. There's a grief that can't be spoken and there's a pain goes on and on. Phantom faces at the windows. Phantom shadows on the floor. Empty chairs at empty tables where my friends will meet no more. Oh my friends, my friends don't ask me what your sacrifice was for. Empty chairs at empty tables where my friend will sing no more. (Les Miserables)_

Sonja stood, frozen between the two desks, unable to move closer to either. Despite the office being occupied with the whole crew, she felt alone, cold and alone. The one person she needed to make sense of this, this situation, was missing from the fray, would never arrive. He caused this and he should be here to fix this. He's the only one who could and can't at the same time.

Two weeks prior

Annabeth stood in front of the building that matched the address on the 3x3 note paper she held in her hand. The building blended in with the surroundings so well that if the uniformed officer stationed at the partially opened door wasn't there, one would make the assumption the place was another bohemian loft like so many other dwellings in New Orleans. She stepped up to the gate. "Excuse me, I'm here to see Special Agent LaSalle."

Roy checked the woman's ID before directing her inside. He watched her appreciatively, noting specifics. She was a classic beauty, not stunning but definitely memorable. He shook his head as he watched the woman move into the offices and hoped that this wasn't another headache for LaSalle.

Surveying the room, Annabeth noted the exits and mapped four escape routes before she paid any attention to the two occupants seated at desks. "I'm looking for Special Agent LaSalle. Would one of you be able to help me?"

Sonja answered before Gregorio. "I'm sorry, we didn't catch your name."

"I didn't offer it." She turned to watch Christopher LaSalle descended the stairs. "Long time no see, Bama."

Christopher froze in his tracks. He hadn't heard that voice in eleven years but time hadn't erased the memory of what the voice use to do to him. "Annabeth," came the whispered sigh.

"Try to sound more enthusiastic, Chris. I would love to hear the difference."

"Well, it is the first time I've seen a ghost," Christopher growled.

Annabeth shook her head ruefully. "Not a ghost. A bad penny maybe but not a ghost."

"How about a tortuous memory?" he offered.

"I'll take that," she returned chuckling softly. "Is there someplace we can talk privately?" she asked while surveying the room.

Christopher took in the room for the first time, finally noticing their audience. "Yeah, let's go this way." He instinctively placed his hand on her lower back, physically guiding her through the courtyard to Patton and Sebastian's domain. "They're out, we should be good."

Annabeth scanned the room with a knowing eye. "Wow, so high tech. Things really have changed."

"Gotta keep up with the times," Chris replied. "What's going on? You're actually skittish."

Annabeth stopped her wanderings, both hands gripping tightly to the back of a chair. "From your nonchalance you don't know."

"Don't know what?" Christopher asked with a frown.

She swallowed hard and looked him in the eye. "He was released two days ago."

LaSalle felt his world freeze. No way in hell was it possible. He was guaranteed notification. There were protocols in place. "How's that even possible?" he chocked out.

"I was hoping you could tell me. I got a text message from that FBI dork yesterday. He was released at ten o'clock a.m. the day before yesterday. Walked out the door, free and clear."

"I wasn't notified."

"Obviously."

"He hasn't contacted you has he, Annabeth?"

"No. I'm going on an extended trip, Chris. I'm not going to give him the chance."

He wiped his hand across his mouth and rubbed his neck. "I need to tell King."

Annabeth, unsurprised at his statement, finally let go of the chair. "Do what you need. I wanted to make sure you knew. Now, I'm going to say a final goodbye. I'm going to become a distant memory."

He couldn't stop himself. "Where you headin'?"

She turned away from him. "You know better than than. Two can keep a secret only if one of them's dead." She turned back. "I have no plans on either of us dying."

"Fair enough," Christopher admitted. "I'll see you out, assuming you're leaving immediately."

"You know me well enough. I will take the time for a hug before I'm on my way."

LaSalle quickly engulfed Annabeth in a hug. He was overcome by a wave of nostalgia. The embrace felt so right, so familiar and yet so wrong and foreign. "Are you sure you wanna run?"

Annabeth sighed, "Is there any other choice?"

Chris's phone buzzed with an incoming text. "It's King. Wants to know where I am, a.s.a.p. He needs to know and I need to stay put."

"Guess that means I'll be seeing myself out then," she said, squeezing his bicep. "Stay out of his sights, Chris."

LaSalle pulled her back in for a better hug before ushering her out the door. They headed back to the main building only to stop at the raised voice coming from the offices.

"Where's Christopher?" Pride shouted in the main room.

"He's in the courtyard," Tammy replied.

The pair watched Pride barrel through the door. "Christopher, Dawson is out." His sentence halted as he caught sight of who was standing with LaSalle. "Well, this is going to save me a phone call. Annabeth, it's good to see you despite the circumstances."

"Same, Dwayne. How'd you find out about Dawson?" Annabeth asked.

Pride smiled despite the seriousness of the situation. "I'd forgotten how direct you are. I got a text from an unknown number. I'm assuming it's Dawson. He's threatening you two."

"Threatening us? How?" Chris asked.

"He says I'll get the pleasure of watching both of you die," Pride explained.

"Dawson was never one to mince words," Annabeth stated.

"Or one to make idle threats," Chris added.

"Makes disappearing sound better and better," Annabeth snorted.

"What? Who's disappearing?" Pride questioned.

"Annabeth came to say a permanent goodbye."

Pride wouldn't believe what he heard. "You were planning on vanishing? You really think you can get away and survive on your own. That worked so well for you last time."

Annabeth stared at Dwayne. "It's me he really wants. I vanish, he'll leave Chris alone."

Chris whipped around to face her. "You really believe that or are you basing that assumption on something you really want to be true?"

She didn't answer him. It wasn't necessary as the three of them knew the answer. "What do we do?"

"We're going to go into the squad room, update the rest of the team, get you two to a safe house and then hunt down Caleb Dawson, put him away for good," Dwayne stated.

"Sounds good except for the the safe house part. I'm not going to take a backseat to dealing with Dawson," Chris declared.

"Chris, remember what happened last time," Annabeth implored.

LaSalle took a very visible deep breath and let it out slowly to fortify himself. "We know what to expect this time."

"So ten minutes ago you were going to kiss me goodbye and now you're ready to play house," Annabeth shot back.

"Annabeth," Pride started.

She whirled on both men, anger spitting from her eyes. "No! You don't get to do this! That man tried to kill the three of us! Now he's targeting us again and you want to stay where he can find us! We know him better but the reverse is also true. He knows us better!"

"You're right," LaSalle conceded, "so we don't make the decision." He gave Pride a pointed look.

Annabeth shifted her gaze between the men silently asking, "What the hell!"

"We let the members of the team Dawson doesn't know make the game plan," Pride elaborated.

Annabeth focused on Christopher. "You trust these people?"

Pride started to answer but Chris raised his hand to stop him. "You don't know what she's asking. Annabeth, I don't. I call them family."

She turned to take in the courtyard. After several minutes she turned back to the only two people in the world who she trusted. "Introduce me."


	2. Chapter 2

Sonja, Sebastian, Patton and Tammy did everything they could to cover up the fact they were paying close attention to the exchange in the courtyard. They scattered to their desks as their co-workers and guest walked into the main room. They had no clue who they were dealing with, not even a close concept.

"Family?" Annabeth repeated, eyebrow raised and disbelief heavy.

"They're usually better than this," Christopher defended the completely obvious group.

"You're lucky I trust you," she whispered in his ear. He squeezed her arm for reassurance and hung back in the doorway with her.

Pride strode into the middle of the room. "Alright everyone, listen up. We've got a problem and it's going to take all of us to fix it. That being said, this is not an NCIS case and you are not obligated in any way."

"What's going on, Pride?" Gregorio demanded.

"Two days ago Caleb Dawson was released from prison. A couple of hours ago he texted me, threatening Christopher and Annabeth Dupont. The two people he holds solely responsible for all the wrongs in life. He wanted them dead eleven years ago and now he wants retribution which is worse."

"Who's Caleb Dawson?" Sonja asked.

LaSalle moved his hand down Annabeth's arm to take ahold of her hand before he answered, "Dawson is a psychopathic arsonist."

"I'm sorry, a what?" Sonja asked.

LaSalle deferred to Pride, choosing instead to wrap his arms around a now shaking Annabeth.

"Caleb Dawson likes to play with his victims before he sets fire to the building they're in and then watches them burn to death," Pride explained.

"How's LaSalle and this person involved?" Gregorio asked.

"Chris and Annabeth were instrumental in putting Dawson away," he replied, "and were almost his last victims. Right after Chris joined NCIS, our first joint case in fact, Dawson started his reign of terror."

Chris took up the narrative, "Annabeth and I have known each other since we were kids. Dawson was her boyfriend. She came to me because she knew something was wrong but she couldn't figure it out on her own. Dawson was Navy so King and I took the investigation. It didn't take long to figure out what was going on." He moved Annabeth to a chair and stood behind her before continuing. "Dawson had already killed six people and torched three buildings when we took the case. He got four more people and two buildings before we caught him."

"So, he's out and he's looking for revenge," Sonja said. "What are we going to do?"

"Dawson is extremely intelligent and he knows us. He doesn't know the three of you. You guys are going to run this op if we're going to get this guy but more importantly we are going to protect Chis and Annabeth," Pride said.

Annabeth reached up to grab Chris's hand on her shoulder. "We need to talk in private," she whispered urgently.

Chris immediately picked up on her unspoken imperative. "Excuse us for a moment, King," he stated firmly.

The others watched in amazement as LaSalle and his friend left the room and headed for the interrogation room. Pride turned to his team. "Let's start strategizing."

Chris waited until they were behind a solidly closed door before he spoke. "I know what you're going to say. Yes, I do trust these people and no, you're not going to run."

She whirled on him, irritation obvious. "Chris, these people are your friends, your family. They'll do everything within their power to protect you. I'm an unknown. There's no loyalty there and frankly, I'd be stunned if there was."

"It's not like that," Chris protested. "They'll care about you because I do."

She shook her head in disbelief. "I know you're not innocent so when did you become stupid? Miss Percy can barely stand to be in the same room with me. Her hurt hostility could knock a truck over."

Chris was poleaxed. "I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Wow, really stupid. I don't even know her and I can see her infatuation with you. It's bleeding obvious."

"Annabeth," he growled.

"Oh, don't go all caveman. Open your eyes. That girl is ass over teakettle for you but that's an issue for another day." She paused for dramatic effect. "It's time for me to literally kiss you goodbye." Leaning in, she kissed his cheek. "Bye, Bama."

Chris knew when not to argue with his long time friend. "We'll see each other again. Love you, Camellia."

"Love you too, Bama. We will see each other again." With a solid hug she started to leave.

"You can exit from the courtyard if you want to skip the gang," Chris stated.

"Yeah, I think I'll take that option."

Chris walked halfway with her before going back to the main room. He stopped in the doorway to take in the sight. The whole team gathered around Gregorio's desk, all pitching out ideas and writing out a plan. He really did have family here.

Sebastian turned slightly and caught his fried out of the corner of his eye. "LaSalle, you guys need to join us. Make sure we haven't missed something."

"Um, yeah," LaSalle coughed out, clearing his throat.

Pride straightened from his leaning. He quickly scanned the area around his friend. "She left," he stated.

"Yeah."

"Didn't want to put us in Dawson's crosshairs or didn't really trust the team?"

"Probably a bit of both."

"You try to talk her out of it?"

"King," LaSalle said putting a whole boat load of weight into the one word.

"I had to…" Pride didn't get a chance to finish his sentence because and explosion from the street rocked the building.

"Annabeth!" Chris screamed as he took off at a dead run.

The rest of the team followed hot on his trail. Sonja called emergency responders, brining up the rear. Chris went directly towards the burning vehicle a couple of buildings away from the office. The Ford Escape, engulfed in flames, burned too hot to approach. Chris started yelling again.

A weak, "Over here," barely reached Gregorio's ears. She stopped short to try and triangulate the source. A second statement gave her the information she needed.

"LaSalle, shut up," Tammy ordered as she went towards the voice. "She's over here." He immediately altered his route, letting the others deal with the scene.

Tammy reached Annabeth first. "Annabeth, you okay?" she questioned the hunkering woman.

Annabeth gave her a scathing glare. "Of course I'm okay. Actually, okay doesn't cover it. Vexed maybe. No, pissed. Yeah, I'm pissed. So very, very pissed."

"Camellia," Chris said as he ran up.

"Watch out, LaSalle, she's pissed," Gregorio warned teasingly.

"I like her," Annabeth glowered. "Christopher, that asshole blew up my car. He. Blew. Up. My. Car."

"Now, Annabeth, calm down," Chris cautioned.

"Oh, I am so _not_ going to lose it. I'm going to put that jack wagon away for good."

Pride walked up at the tail end of her tirade. "I just got a text from Dawson. He said to tell you two this is only the beginning. I'm glad you changed your mind, Annabeth."

Chris pulled his friend close to his side. "How'd he find us so quick?'

Annabeth stared in disbelief. "Really?"

"It seemed like the typical thing to say," he replied sheepishly.

"I'll refrain from calling you the name that's trying to force its way off my lips. Instead I'll ask, what do we need to do, Pride? He knows we're here."

"First, we're going to get everyone to a safe location. We'll finalize plans after that," Pride replied.

"Well that's a start," Annabeth mumbled as she dragged LaSalle back towards headquarters. "Can't wait to hear the rest of your master plan."

Once they'd reassembled, Sonja laid out what they had so far. "We have to assume Dawson is running surveillance, especially now. This is the only way to get you out of the building without him knowing who's who."

"Annabeth, it's a solid plan," Pride defended.

She gave him a withering look. "Really? I never would've guessed. Forgive me if I want to ensure we cover every possible situation first. I have a very healthy sense of self preservation." She looked pointedly at LaSalle.

"It'll work," Chris stated.

Dwayne shook his head. "You haven't changed a bit." Looking at the others, he continued, "We got some time tonight so let's get somethings done while we can."

Even though she helped, Annabeth still took a moment to be amazed at the efficiency, the cohesive teamwork of this NCIS group. Chris really had found a home with these people. It was a relief to know he had people who'd have his back, no matter how this turned out. He'd be okay. She was determined to make sure Caleb Dawson would not take victims from this group.

Annabeth leapt from her thoughts when Pride announced he was calling it a night. Despite the size of the place, sleeping arrangements proved interesting. After some logistic discussion, various couches found their way to the desk area. Pride scrounged up two air mattresses so the guys would have a place to bunk down. Chris and Dwayne tossed theirs down next to Annabeth's couch. Shoes shed, they stashed their weapons within easy reach and plopped dow. Sonja volunteered for the first watch, making the rounds, securing the perimeter.

The night passed uneventfully but all to soon morning arrived and the half dozen occupants were engaged in eating Pride out of house and home. The man made killer crepes. For a few brief moments, the whole team sat around the kitchen table, eating and joking around.

"So, do you hire out on the side, King, cause I could certainly be persuaded that I need a personal chef," Annabeth teased.

"I'll call you when I retire from NCIS," he replied.

"So essentially you're saying I'll never have a chef."

"Essentially,' Dwayne agreed. "All right, get your food down and then we need to get to work. It's going to take all we got to get this in place."

A series of nods followed his declaration. They quickly finished breakfast and moved to their assigned tasks. The outside errands were done by Sebastian and a recruited Loretta, who actually offered to help. They were the ideal efficiency gophers. All the external errands were complete within a couple of hours.

It took most of the day to get everything into place. For such short notice, it was amazing how may friends were willing to come to their aid. The place was going to be packed, which is exactly what they were going for.

It was late afternoon when Chris realized he couldn't find Annabeth. He tried to covertly scan the area to keep from alarming anyone. He was unsuccessful.

"She's in the courtyard," Percy said quietly.

"When did she go?" LaSalle asked.

"A few minutes ago. Said she needed to get some air."

"How did I miss that?"

"You were on the phone," Sonja replied.

"I'd better check on her," Chris said as he stood up.

"Why don't you let me?" she asked. "Sometimes you need a girl friend," she added at his questioning look.

"Go right ahead," LaSalle conceded. "Good luck," he muttered as Sonja left the room.

Stopping by the fridge, Sonja grabbed a couple of waters before going outside to find Annabeth. For her part, Annabeth watched the other woman's movements from the corner of her eye. She knew full well what Sonja intended and was of two minds. She really didn't want to get too personal with her but at the same time, she wanted to find out what the agent had that put Chris on his toes. She sighed internally as the woman approached.

"Would you like a water?" the female agent asked.

Annabeth lifted the hand already holding a bottle and pushed at the other chair with her foot. "Thanks, but I got one. Have a seat."

"So, how long have you known LaSalle?" Sonja queried, getting down to business.

"Since we were about four or five. His family moved and mine followed a year later. Our folks were good friends," Annabeth replied, playing along.

"Were?"

"My folks have been gone a while," Annabeth explained.

"So how come LaSalle never talks about you?"

Annabeth finally looked directly at Sonja. "Dawson."

"I have a feeling that I'm never going to hear the whole story," Sonja guessed.

"It's a really long story and yeah, you've only heard parts. Safer for everyone," Annabeth stated, taking a long swallow of her water and shifting her gaze to the fence line.

"Something tells me you've got additional plans," Sonja observed.

Annabeth shook her head. "No, no other plans. I just want to make sure there's gonna be someone around to watch over him when this is all done."

"And you think I'm that person?"

"I don't think, I know." Annabeth patted the table. "Now let's get back to getting this party started."

Sonja watched, awed as the other woman jumped up and swaggered back to the office area. She had never really believed in the old adage that everyone has a twin somewhere but after meeting Annabeth, well, might need to seriously rethink that stance. It was seriously like being with a female LaSalle. Lord help them all. Sighing, Sonja stood up and followed.

Annabeth laughed with Chris as she entered. "Why do I get the feeling that laughter is directed at me?"

LaSalle chuckled harder. "You'd be wrong."

Pride came in through the kitchen. "Sounds like we've got everything set. Party starts at six sharp."

"It's a good thing we're in this city. There's no other place in this country where one can start up a party in under a day," Loretta declared.

"It's the only place where this plan will work," Pride added. "I think it's a good idea if our main actors rest up for a couple of hours so you'll be on top of your game. You can use my room."

To everyone's surprise neither of the two people Pride referred to argued. Chris simply said, "I call the big spoon."

The two bickered jovially as they exited the room. No one would ever admit to hearing, "just cause you have two inches on me doesn't mean you automatically get to be the big spoon. There are plenty of couples out there where the woman is the dominant one in the relationship of male/female and what about male/male relation…"


	3. Chapter 3

Annabeth observed the party in full swing. It had been a long time since she'd been to any type of New Orlean's party let alone a masquerade party. With different circumstances, this might have been fun. This charade had better work.

Dwayne nudged her shoulder. "You holding up?"

"Yeah," she smiled. "You sure know how to throw a party. This is entertaining!"

"This city knows how to party. Always has. This is gonna work, Annabeth. It's all gonna be okay." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and she leaned into him.

"I know. I could've done with a different costume though. The three little pigs aren't my favorites."

"I'd say that building a house out of bricks is right up your alley," he teased.

"Oink, oink." Annabeth gestured to the crowd. "That may be but being one of eighteen doesn't make a girl feel special."

"Does it help that LaSalle's in the same boat?"

"Immeasurably, Dwayne, immeasurable," Annabeth snarked.

"Another hour and it's a go."

"Well, I'm going to make use of the facilities and another small bowl of gumbo. That stuff is addictive."

"Why thank you. That's the best compliment I've received in a while."

Annabeth patted him on the chest. "My intent wasn't to boost your ego. Now if you'll excuse this little piggy, I really do need to use the facilities."

Pride laughed as he excused her. "Don't get lost now."

Annabeth smiled as she made her way to the restrooms. She pulled her mask firmly back in place as she crossed the open area. There was a short line and she took her spot in the cue. She was only there for a moment before she wished she wasn't.

"You know I'd do anything for this team but this has to be one of his stranger requests," an anonymous voice said.

"He tell you what he was trying to disguise?"

"No, but he was really specific on his requests. I really don't do the whole nursery rhyme scene."

"I feel sorry for the poor schmuck this charade is for. They got to be in a whole heap of trouble for him to go to such lengths."

"Yeah, poor sucker."

Annabeth kept quiet through the conversation. It all seemed so surreal, to be talked about wile you're standing right there. She quickly completed her business and left the area. As she moved away, she suddenly felt light headed. Turning towards the main rooms, the floor rose up to meet her and everything went black.

LaSalle, constantly aware of his friend's whereabouts, watched her collapse and ran to try to catch her before she hit the ground but he didn't make it. He passed out before he took three steps.

Chaos ensued as within minutes, eighteen little pigs collapsed where they stood. Phones were pulled out, EMT's were called and dispatched. Pride and Gregorio did their best to control the scene, keep everybody calm. As first responders started to arrive, Loretta helped to prioritized the victims. She made sure the more serious cases were addressed first. Soon nine ambulances were pulling away, lights and sirens going full blast.

Tulane Medical Center, already on alert, prepared to be inundated. It wasn't often they admitted eighteen emergency patients at once. In the controlled pandemonium two of the arrivals got misdiagnosed and sent directly to the morgue, by the coroner no less. Well it was easily explained.

LaSalle groaned as the road jolts caused his stomach to revolt. An accompanying moan echoed from across the small space. He didn't feel too guilty for being happy that someone shared his misery. He barely had time to enjoy the moment before he was retching miserably into a container someone shoved under his chin.

When he finally managed to get his bodily functions under control, Chris whispered, "Next time, you come up with a plan I reserve the right to veto, especially if it involves me, Percy."

"I gotta second that statement," Annabeth seconded and threw up as well. LaSalle's stomach emptied again in sympathy.

"Dr. Wade said this stage should last a half hour or so. You two should be doing better by the time we get to the safe house," Perch said.

"Are we supposed to be comforted by those words?" Annabeth muttered.

"Well, at least it's not hours," Sebastian reasoned.

"Thanks, Sebastian," Chris growled.

"I didn't even eat that much," Annabeth pointed out as she finished another round.

Sonja had the grace to look sheepish. "You, um, might get the dry heaves."

"Wonderful," both in firmed groaned.

The remainder of the trip was devoid of conversation while two of the vans occupants recover from their adventure. By the time Percy pulled up to the safe house, Chris and Annabeth were able to walk into the place under their own steam. The minute they got inside though, LaSalle found the closest bed and maneuvered them to it so they could collapse. Way better to sleep it off in a stationary environment.

Sonja and Sebastian watched the other pair leave the room and looked to each other. "Do you think this is going to work?" Sebastian asked, skepticism weighing his tone.

Sonja looked like she didn't want to answer but finally relented. "It's the only hope we've got."

Sebastian started to shuffle nervously. "Don't you find it a little odd the way LaSalle acts around Miss Dupont?'

"I don't know. They're close," Sonja said haltingly.

"It's more than close. They seem. Well, they just seem… I don't know. It's weird."

"I couldn't agree more," Sonja sighed. "Let's do a sweep. Make sure everything is secure.I'll take this side," she said gesturing to the right.

Sebastian nodded in reply. He checked every room thoroughly. His last stop was the occupied bedroom. He silently peeped around the door, both of the occupants were sound asleep, wrapped around each other. Yeah, weird. He quietly pulled the door shut and joined Sonja in the main room.


	4. Chapter 4

Caleb Dawson slammed his palms down on the table hard enough to make the piece creek under the assault. How could this even remotely happen? He had it planned down to the minutia. His mistake came in not figuring in the new pawns. A mistake he wouldn't make again.

Dawson knew his plan wasn't perfect but he did believe it was damn close. He had options for a Plan A and a Plan B. That should've been enough. LaSalle and the bitch weren't that smart. They must've brought Pride in before he did. Too many things have changed.

Dawson took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Time to revise his plans. Not a big deal really. He was nothing if not adaptable. Hell, he excelled at adaptability. He only needed to get over the small hiccup of having temporarily losing his targets.

Sitting down to the computer, Dawson sighed in frustration. He didn't like admitting it but he doesn't poses the skills necessary to pull the hospital surveillance video. Dawson wasn't keen on pulling in any more minions into his schemes. The more one has, the more you open yourself up. Dangerous choice in his life. He tapped mindlessly on the keyboard, plotting his next move. It took him about ten minutes before a plan started to formulate.

It would take a few days. He needed to get back to the hospital, make some friends. Someone has to have seen something whether they knew it or not. He was a patient man. All those years, another few days or a week or so was nothing but a flash in the pan.

Putting his limited computer skills to use, he started researching local hospital supply stores. He could get imitation scrubs from the local Walmart but if real personnel paid attention, the cheap knock-offs wouldn't pass inspection. he needed authentic.

An hour later, Dawson had all the information he needed. Checking the time, he figured he had time to fit in his physical routine before he hit the rack. It became important in the brig to maintain his body, to be at the top of his game. His lack luster body aided in his capture last time. That wasn't going to happen again.

Finished with his workout, Dawson decided to shower. He let the hot water cascade over his head and shoulders, washing away the stress from the failed day. It was refreshing, rejuvenating even.

Shutting off the facet, Dawson grabbed a towel and made a cursory attempt at drying off. He never dried off these days, preferring to be damp not something one does inside. He pulled on a loose pair of shorts and flopped down on his bed. He pulled up the sheet and arranged himself in the middle of the California King size bed (another small luxury he allotted himself). He fell asleep with a satisfied smile on his face.

The morning sun pulled him from a deep sleep. Dawson stretched, enjoying his spacious pillow top. Life can only get better. The need to pee became imperative. Hoping out of bed with ease, Dawson made a beeline for the bathroom. Man, it was fabulous releasing a stream without having a watcher. Privacy takes a whole new definition when you've been inside.

Finishing up his "private" routine, he grabbed his workout clothes. Ten minutes later he had a route mapped out that would take him by two of the stores he needed to visit today. Window shopping was on the agenda, always scoping out the situation ahead of time. Guarantees there are very few surprises.

His run was uneventful. The two stores checked out but only one had the items he needed. Prep work paid off again. Dawson checked his watch. He had plenty of time to shower and eat breakfast before getting to work.

It was amazingly easy to case the hospital. A wig and fake glasses were all he needed to blend in seamlessly. In less than two hours he had what he required, enough information to assimilate and garner the real facts he needed.

His next stop was the supply store; a no brainer. The girl behind the cash register barely glanced at him. It seemed like a chore for her to point him towards the right sizes. She didn't even blink when he paid cash. Jesus, people were so naive. If he were ten years younger, he'd skip his way back to the car.

Despite last night's set back he wasn't discouraged. All he had to do was bide his time. He invested too much to let a hiccup or two interfere with the plan. Now, what was on the docket for the afternoon.

The remainder of the day flowed smoothly and Dawson retired early to make sure to be on top of his game in the morning. A solid, dreamless sleep helped keep his good mood in place.

Morning held his good mood. Up early, exercise, bath and careful dressing all flowed. It was all rainbows and unicorns clear up to the point where he found a spot to access the hospital records.

There were none! It was like the entire incident never occurred. Nothing existed to prove the incident even happened. Dawson used his stolen ID. to log into the emergency responder system to check on the ambulance dispatch. Again, nothing. What the hell!

Dawson almost growled his frustration but managed to hold it back. Leaving the station, he made his way to a private bathroom and locked himself in. He banged his fists against the sink. The new factors in the equation are a bigger nuisance then he had expected. He needed to retreat and reassess.


	5. Chapter 5

Christopher stretched slowly making sure not to disturb his bedmate. Despite the fact she'd never said anything he knew Annabeth was burnt out. She'd been burning the candle at both ends and in the middle for longer than any human should. He rolled over and sat up, letting his stocking feet silently hit the floor. His back and one knee popped as he stood, stretching again. Man, it sucked getting old.

He slipped out of the room and followed his nose towards the kitchen and the coffee he knew was there. Crossing the threshold, he spotted Sebastian at the table. "Any coffee brewed?"

"There's a fresh pot. You feeling better?" Sebastian returned.

"Much better," Chris replied while pouring himself a cup. "That stuff really messes with you . Annabeth is still sleepin' it off."

"Loretta said it was difficult to control the doses so she went with the lighter side but Annabeth's petite frame worked against her."

"Who you callin' tiny, gigantor?" Annabeth muttered as she sauntered into the room and sank into a chair.

Chris handed her his cup and grabbed another before joining them. "Up to snuff?"

"Barely, but yeah I think so," she replied. "So, you drew the short straw, Sebastian."

"Um, I'm not sure what you mean," he said, frowning.

"You were elected to babysit," she stated.

"Annabeth, knock it off," Chris warned.

She took a long sip of her coffee before smarting back, "A girl's got to have a little fun."

"Only if you play on the same plain," Chris stated.

"You think I can't keep up with her?" Sebastian butted in.

LaSalle turned to his co-worker. "I know you can't keep up with her. No one can. She could get a beggar to give up his last piece of bread without him even realizing it."

"Hey, I resemble that remark," the lady in question proudly claimed.

"Am I missing something here?" Sebastian asked, swinging a finger between the other two, "Cause I feel like I'm missing something here."

"Christopher has been know to refer to me as a snake oil salesperson," Annabeth gloated. Sebastian looked confused. "If I decided to be a con artist, you wouldn't know what hit you."

"Oh," Sebastian drawled. "I understand. You'd be a grifter."

Chris chocked on his mouthful of coffee. Annabeth didn't bother to conceal her laughter. Sebastian tossed a confused look between the two. "What did I say?"

"I've heard worse terms," Chris laughed as he recovered.

Annabeth put a finger to her lip and tapped it a few times. "Hmm, grifter! I think I kind of like that, it has a nice ring to it."

LaSalle laughed, hard. "You're forgetting a very important fact."

"What's that?" Sebastian asked, truly puzzled.

Chris turned to the other man. "She'd be confessing before she even committed a crime."

Sebastian's eyebrows rose to his hairline. "Really?!"

Chris nodded. "Annabeth may have a poker face but when it comes to right or wrong, there's no question."

"Okay, I give. You two are too simpatico," Sebastian said.

"Sorry, Sebastian, we're having you on," Annabeth stated. Chris laughed some more.

Sebastian studied the obnoxious two intently. Have you always been like this?"

"Yes!" they replied simultaneously.

"As I said, you have to have a little fun," Annabeth reiterated. Getting up, she refilled her mug. "What else are we going to do? This plan you guys came up with has us two sitting on our thumbs."

"Annabeth," Chris growled warningly.

"Don't you pull that caveman act on me! If you'd have let me go, all of you could go merrily along with your lives!"

Chris pushed his chair back, stood up and then shoved the chair into the table. "I can't believe you!" he shouted. "Did you really think I would be able to let you walk away? Let you leave, unprotected so you can get yourself killed? Let you sacrifice yourself for me?"

"It's what you'd do for me. What you are doing for me," she said, all the fury bleeding out of her.

Chris deflated. Wrapping his arms around her shoulders, he gave Annabeth a firm hug. "Because I love you like a sister. You're family. I'd do anything for you, always."

She leaned back into his hold. "What you seem to forget is I'd do the same for you."

"I know. I do remember," Chris whispered.

"Those are only words, Chris. your actions speak a whole other language."

"I'm not going to lose you too," he whispered fervently.

Annabeth felt the full weight of Chris's declaration. She discreetly waved Sebastian out of the room before she pulled Chris around to sit back down. She put her hands on his cheeks once he'd settled. "Chris, I'm not Savanah. I know what's after me. I'm prepared for whatever comes."

"You're not invincible, Annabeth."

"No, I'm not, no one is but I'm prepared as anyone can be." She paused to let her words sink in and made sure he was looking her in the eyes before she continued, "I need you to be safe too."

"And I need to protect you," Chris pleaded.

"Ah, Chris," she murmured pulling him into a full embrace. "I'll follow your lead, promise."

"Thank you," he sighed, leaning forward to rest his forehead on her shoulder.

They stayed in that position until Sebastian gathered the courage to pop his head back into the room. 'Is it clear to re-enter?"

LaSalle pulled back from his resting spot. "Yeah, Sebastian, it's clear. You can come on in."

"Yeah, I'm going to take a shower. I feel like I've been run through the wringer," Annabeth declared. "You boys play nice." She left the room but not before giving Chris's shoulder a quick squeeze.

LaSalle slapped his hands on the table. "Let's move this party to the living room. The chairs have to be more comfortable than these things." He gave the offending piece a soft kick.

They guys moved to the community room and were soon engrossed in a fly fishing program. The shower made soft background noises, so much so that the pair didn't even notice when it shut off. Annabeth eventually joined them, sprawling across a recliner. They spent the two hours till check-in ribbing each other and making gibes at the various TV programs.


	6. Chapter 6

Pride was stirring a pot of, something, as Tammy walked into the kitchen. She watched him as he took a taste before searching his stash for a particular spice. He was so focused that even though he knew she was there, he didn't immediately acknowledge her, an act so unlike the man, it put Gregorio on edge.

"You okay, Pride?" she asked breaking the silence.

"Yep, I can't seem to get this right," he replied absently as he plucked another spice from the line up and added a dash to the pot.

"What's really going on, Pride?"

Pride stopped his puttering to look her in the eye. "I have a bad feeling about all this, is all. We're missing something. I can feel it."

"So we go back over everything, like you say 'learn things'."

"Call everyone in here. We can eat and go over the whole plan," Pride directed.

"You got it," Tammy replied turning to do that.

Dwayne watched her leave then went back to his food. They would get to the root of what was bothering him. Caleb Dawson was not someone you underestimated. All of the bases needed to be covered and right now. Pride was sure they were missing parts.

The gang quietly gathered around the table, finding seats. Pride passed out bowls before taking his own spot. They followed his lead, tucking into their bowls. Never had the entire team been this quiet for this long.

Pride finally looked up. Wiping his mouth a napkin, he said, "This has been all too easy. Caleb Dawson is too smart to be fooled for long. We missed something."

"Not that I doubt you but how can you be sure?" Gregorio questioned.

The room became completely silent. Three sets of eyes focused on her in disbelief. Eventually Patton cleared his throat. "You did not really ask that."

"What's the big deal?" Tammy asked puzzled.

Sonja shook her head disparagingly. "I've never heard anyone question Pride's instinct before. I'm not so sure that the sky isn't going to fall."

"Now, Sonja," Pride said, "we need to get back to our issue. We need to ensure that Christopher and Annabeth stay alive and well."

The team went through the entire plan, each of them playing devil's advocate at one point or another. They covered every part again and again, making a few adjustments here and there. The biggest change was to pull Sebastian back to HQ and have New Orlean's PD help out at the safe house.

"I'll call Sebastian, let him know the change of plans. Percy, you make the arrangements with PD. Gregorio, you get a BOLO out on Dawson. Let's get to it," Pride ordered. "We'll gather again in thirty minutes. Patton, see if you can find Dawson on any cameras, any where."

The gang quickly scattered to do his biding. Everyone of them wanted to end this. Dwayne watched his team. It was going to be a tough job. He pulled out his phone to call Sebastian.

The ringing phone startled the three couch potatoes. Sebastian scrambled to answer it. "Hey, Pride," After several minutes of silence, he spoke again, "I fully understand. I'll wait for my replacement then head out. I'll be in, in a couple of hours." He moved out of the room as he spoke.

"Sounds like we've got a change of plans," LaSalle observed.

"Seems that way," Annabeth agreed. "Bet it doesn't change our jobs though."

"No, probably not."

"I'm still not kicked on being idle and don't even try telling me you are, Christopher."

"Wouldn't dream of it. If it means keeping you alive though, I'm all for it."

Annabeth pulled back out of his embrace. "So you're saying that if it was just you then it would be different?"

Chris sighed. There was no way he could keep anything from her, never had been despite all desires for it to be otherwise. Annabeth knew him, him and Cade, too well for too long to pull the wool over her eyes. She was also too intuitive. "Yeah, if this involved just me, there would be nothing that would keep me from personally hunting Dawson down and taking care of him myself but this isn't just about me. It's about you. It's possibly about King. It could even extend to the whole team. I will not knowingly put anyone in harms way, you know that. So if that means sitting here, kicking my feet up and letting my brain atrophy while someone else does my job, then so be it."

She listened as his tone firmed and he became more animated as he continued. It use to be one of her favorite past times, LaSalle brother baiting, but it had lost its charm this time around. She grabbed both his hands in hers. Making sure he was looking directly at her. "Chris, take a deep breath. I'm sorry. I wasn't advocating for us to do anything different. I was expressing frustration, poorly mind you, but nothing more. I promise."

Chris inhaled slowly, trying to bring his blood pressure back down. "This was never one of your more attractive traits, darling."

She had the grace to look sheepish. "So I've been told. Many times. By you and Cade. I'm sorry."

"You talk to Cade lately?" he asked, changing the topic abruptly.

"A few months ago. He and your momma were grocery shopping while I picked up a couple of things for Gram. We chatted for only a moment. I was in a bit of a hurry."

"You don't make it home too often do you?"

"Nah and when I do, I tend to make it a quick visit. You know how it goes," she said shrugging slightly.

Chris kissed her forehead. "As much as we want to, we can't change our past."

Sinking into his embrace, she muttered, "No you can't." He kissed her forehead again and settled them more comfortably on the couch.

Sebastian found them in the same position when he returned to the room. "So, can I read you in?"

The duo sat upright. "Tell us what you know," LaSalle directed.

"Pride's turning guard duty over to PD. I'm going to head in and help with the search for Dawson. If we don't get anything in a couple of days and hopefully we will but if we don't, Pride wants to pull you back in."

"As bait," LaSalle stated.

"Essentially, yes," Sebastian confirmed.

"I'm good with that," Annabeth declared.

Chris shook his head in disbelief. "You never disappoint. Just once I'd like you to, just once."

"No you don't. If I changed my ways you'd find something else to gripe about."

"You keep life interesting, girl. Okay, Sebastian, what else do you need to convey?"

"The rest of the team is doing every thing they can to find Dawson. The problem is that even if they do find him, there's nothing to hold him. He's made some threats but he's made no physical actions. Unless, we can get him to confess, we won't be able to hold him," Sebastian imparted.

"We told you he's good," Annabeth stated.

"I'm going to gather my things. Arthur should be here shortly."

By the time Sebastian finished, Officer Ryan had arrived. When he finished the briefing, the newest NCIS agent took his leave and headed for the offices. The poor man left conflicted, torn between wanting to be more active with the case and wanting to observe Annabeth Dupont.

Patton was just rolling into the main rooms when Sebastian walked in. "The magician has uncovered an illusion once again!" the computer deity proclaimed.

"Show us what you've got," Pride ordered, feeling a bit of relief that they might finally have something to act on.

"I've got a couple of addresses for Dawson. Actually I've found five. They're all listed under a different known aliases," Patton explained as he pulled the info up on the overhead plasma.

"Since Dawson hasn't been out long enough to set up a solid new alias, we have to assume for now that he's using an existing one," Percy conveyed. "This is what Patton found. We need to split up and check them out."

Pride moved to the file cabinet. "Gregorio you're with me. We'll take the two riverside. Sonja, Sebastian, you take the two inland. If necessary, we'll meet at the address in the middle. Let's get this guy."


	7. Chapter 7

Sonja and Sebastian quickly eliminated their first address as the place was a burned out shell so they headed for the second place on their list. It was a true testament to her patience that Sonja made it to a point where they were a mile away from the first stop before she gave into her curiosity. "So, what do you think of her?"

Taken unaware, Sebastian's only response was, "Of who?"

"LaSalle's friend. What do you think about her?"

"Oh, Annabeth, She's like a high octane Christopher. She has an incredibly intense sense of humor. I would imagine if Chris didn't have any reserves, that's what he'd be like."

Sonja was completely confused. "Are you saying LaSalle, well that he." She couldn't finish the sentence.

"Yep," Sebastian confirmed.

"Wow, just wow," Sonja said, amazed.

"Yep." Sebastian popped the "p".

They pulled up to the address before Sonja could add anything. The place looked like a typical middle income home, complete with the white picket fence. The residential suburbs of New Orleans wasn't the normal hang out for the criminal element.

"I have a feeling this place is going to be a bust," Sonja stated.

"I'm not so sure about that," Sebastian replied, motioning her to a non-visible area. He dropped his voice, "There's movement in the window."

"Watch the house, I'm gong to call Pride," Sonja ordered.

Sebastian found a spot where he wasn't visible but with decent sight lines. Percy dropped back to the car before dialing. Pride picked up on the third ring.

"Percy, make it quick, we're in the middle of something," Dwayne insisted.

"We've go someone at the residence. Obviously you do too. I'll call NOPD," she replied.

"We'll keep each other updated," Pride declared and dropped the call.

Sonja called NOPD for back up, stressing the need for silence, and made her way back to Sebastian. "We need to wait for police back up. Pride and Gregorio have a situation too."

Sebastian looked at her in disbelief. "You're not joking are you?"

"You wish," Percy snarked. "You stay here. I'm gonna drop back, wait for backup and coordinate them."

"I'll let you know if the situation changes," Sebastian replied.

They didn't have to wait before two squads pulled up to the scene. They coordinated the plan of approach and everyone was quickly in place. Sebastian and Percy took the front door with NOPD on the side and back. Percy announced their presence and everyone advanced.

What they found surprised them. The place was a crack house. The four occupants were cooking meth. By the time all the details were sorted out with the arrests made, Patton had the id's of the four but more importantly, he had their connection to Dawson. Each of the four was related to Dawson in some manner. Sonja eagerly handed off the three minions to local law while she appropriated the head man. They were taking him back to HQ.

Across town, a whole different scenario unfolded. Pride shook his head, trying very hard to take in what he and Gregorio found at their first address. There were so many avenues, even with his considerable experience he was finding it difficult it taking it all in.

Gregorio approached wearing a similar stunned expression. "This is, well it's, for lack of a better word, extensive."

"That it is. We have any idea how many felonies there's going on here?" Pride asked gesturing towards the house.

"I came up with ten but an officer went into the basement and added at least five more," Tammy replied.

"Has anyone checked the third floor or the out buildings?"

"Those are being investigated as we speak."

"So we can probably add to our total," Pride declared.

"Probably. We have at least sixteen people so far. Shouldn't be too hard to get at least one of them to flip on Dawson," Gregorio stated.

"We can only hope," Pride said. "Let's go see where we're at." His phone rang before they'd taken three steps. "Talk to me, Sebastian."

"We've got the ring leader of the crack house and we're taking him back to headquarters. You want us to wait for you before we interrogate?"

"Nah, I'm not sure how much longer we're going to be here. We need info so you two learn what you can as quick as you can. We'll call when we start back. We sent NOPD to the last addresses. Who knows what they're going to find."

"Is it bad that I hope they find two abandoned places?" Sebastian asked.

"Your mouth to God's ears. We've got enough at these two places to keep us going for a week. Let's hope one of these idiots gives up Dawson. You instruct NOPD?"

"Yeah. The guys we trust are going to interrogate those they take. Sonja and I think the main guy is just pissed enough to want to make a deal," Sebastian stated.

"Let's hope. We'll keep in touch," Pride promised before hanging up. He scanned the scene to find Gregorio. Spotting her, he made his way to where she stood next to a uniform. "We got something new?" he asked when she looked to him after a minute.

Tammy looked him in the eye. "Yeah. This and the other house, it's all too easy."

"What do you mean?"

Tammy motioned to the man standing next to her. "Taylor says they've been casing this place for months and getting nothing. Suddenly we're on the case and there's activity. Same with the other place."

"So you're thinking we've been set up," Pride stated.

"Yes, don't you?" Tammy replied.

"Call Percy. Tell her to send their guy straight to lock up. I'll make sure that everyone knows not to mention Dawson, Chris or Annabeth," Pride directed stalking off.

"I'll take that as a yes," Tammy muttered as she pulled out her phone.

Hours passed before Caleb received the first phone call. With each one that trickled in he became more and more enraged. By the last call, his blood sang through his veins, laced with white hot fury. He had severely underestimated LaSalle's new team. It was time to change tracks or rather targets. They would never know what hit them!


	8. Chapter 8

Christopher threw his cards on the table. "Damn, I'm out! Again!"

Todd laughed to keep from moaning. "Do you always win?"

Annabeth sat back with a satisfied smile. "Ninety-eight percent of the time," she claimed.

"The other two percent is only because she gives into her guilty conscious and lets you win," Chris teased.

"So you play, just waiting to be a member of the two percent then," Todd pointed out.

"Precisely!" Annabeth exclaimed. She slapped Chris on the thigh. "What say you about us making some chow? I'm starving."

"I could go for that. What do you think, Todd? We're not as good as King but I'm sure we can put something together."

"I'm pretty decent in the kitchen, if I do say so myself," Todd replied.

"Alright then, let's see what we can cobble together," Annabeth declared, leading the way to the kitchen.

Amidst their chopping and dicing, Todd pushed for more information. "So how'd you get so, uh, good at cards?"

Annabeth glanced up with a twinkle in her eye and a resigned expression on her face. "My old man was a professional, passed on every trick he knew."

Todd stopped his chopping. "Professional good or professional bad?"

"Depends on whose point of view. No matter what, we had food on the table, clothes on our backs and a place to stay warm and eat. How he came to get the money to provide those necessities, well I learned very early on not to ask questions especially if I couldn't handle honest answers."

"Despite his uh, gambling profession, Annabeth's dad couldn't lie to save his neck," Chris said. "I don't think he was physically capable."

"Not that he didn't try," Annabeth said chagrined.

Chris laughed, "He never stopped trying."

"You have a very colorful background," Todd said.

"You have no idea. Now what's going on this pizza?"

It didn't take long for the three to put together a filling meal; pizza, salad and ice cream with berries. They ate well. Cleaning up as they went along meant there was minimal after meal dishes. They were almost finished when Todd's phone rang.

"It's Pride," he said before he answered. "Todd."

"Let me speak to Christopher," Pride said without preamble. Todd handed his phone over.

"Hey, King, what's going on?" Chris listened to Pride's narrative with his expression growing grimmer with each word. "He set us up," he finally stated. Listening for a few more minutes he ended with, "I agree. Keep us updated."

Annabeth stared as he hung up and handed the phone back to Todd. "Well," she demanded.

Chris relayed everything in detail, including Dwayne's revised plan. "The team's going to keep looking. Now that we know Dawson's new process, we can stay ahead of him. Find him."

"So what are we to do?" Annabeth asked.

"We're going to stay here. Stay safe," Chris replied.

"So, do nothing in other words," Annabeth spat out, clearly aggravated.

"It's what's right for now," Chris reasoned.

"It's bullshit is what it is," she exclaimed throwing down the dishcloth and storming out of the room.

Todd made to follow her but Chris stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "It'll be better if you let her cool off for a while."

"She always this passionate?"

"You have no idea!"

"Must be exhausting."

"Again, you have no idea. Let's finish up," Chris said.

The two men quickly finished the chores and retired to the living room. Todd clicked on the TV and found something inane to watch. Annabeth eventually joined them but remained silent. Chris shared raised eyebrows and a shrug with Todd.

"You two can stop the silent gestures. I know my actions were childish. I'm working on it," Annabeth stated.

"This mean you're on board with the new plan?" Chris asked, half afraid of her answer.

"Yeah. I'm not happy but I'm on bored."

"Well, god forbid you ever be happy about something not of your own making but I'm happy you're seeing reason," Chris said smugly.

"You're an ass."

"Wouldn't want me any other way now would you," Chris claimed breaking into a grin.

"So we just sit here and wait," she semi-questioned.

"We sit here and wait," LaSalle confirmed.

Waiting is exactly what they did for a whole week. Chris managed to keep Annabeth distracted by keeping her busy. He challenged her to sprints, basketball, video games, cooking; anything to occupy her. To keep her from dwelling. No easy task, even for a long time friend.

At the end of a week though, even Chris was starting to get a little testy. "Argh," he yelled as he missed his shot.

"Oh so close," Annabeth teased.

He retrieved and then tossed the ball at her with a little more force than necessary. "Just shoot."

"Nah, I think I'm done and I think you are too," Annabeth said as she caught the ball.

"What?"

"Didn't think I'd have to spell it out." Chris didn't answer so she continued, "You and I are not the types to sit back passively."

"You're right," Chris said as he sat down on the edge of the raised brick planter.

"So let's do something," Annabeth said, joining him. "Call King and tell hime we're done doing nothing. They've gotten nowhere so now we need to do something different."

"I'll go get Mark," LaSalle said.

Annabeth watched as he went into the house. The whole situation sucked. The hunt for Dawson had stalled right after the raid. The little pushing they'd done on the people arrested on the raids yielded zilch. Everyone of the scumbags were loyal to Caleb or were two afraid of him. Either choice, they were treading water.

Chris came out with Marks' phone. "He figured we could handle this on our own." He dialed, putting the phone on speaker.

"Pride."

"Hey, King, it's Chris and Annabeth. We need to talk."

"I don't have to guess to know what this is about. I'm not going to even argue. Percy will be there in a couple of hours to get you two."

"Wow! I didn't expect you to capitulate so easily," Annabeth said.

"What we're doing isn't working. We need to change tactics and we need your help," Dwayne stated.

"We'll be ready," Chris said. The line went dead. He looked up at Annabeth. "That was easier then it should be. Pride must have something up his sleeve."

"He usually does."

"Well, we'd better get packed. We don't want to keep Sonja waiting. She's not real good at dallying," Chris pointed out.

"She doesn't seem like the most patient person. How in the hell did she ever work undercover for so long?"

Chris chuckled. "I'm not sure but I sure would've liked to have been a fly on the proverbial wall. I'm positive it was highly entertaining."

"Oh, that's a guarantee. Come on, let's get packing and the place cleaned up," Annabeth declared, punching him on the shoulder.

"Hey," Chris protested rubbing the injured spot.

"Ah, you love it and you know it."


	9. Chapter 9

Sonja drove exactly one mile an hour below the posted speed limit. She scanned the front and checked her mirrors continually, wanting to be positive she wasn't being followed. Five miles out, she knew she was in the clear. Picking up speed a little, Sonja turned the radio on to alleviate the silence for the rest of the drive.

Chris stashed the luggage by the front door and made a sweeping glance of the area. Neither of them were messy in nature so it hadn't taken long to tidy up. Annabeth might possibly be somewhat OCD. After this thing was over he was thinking of having her over to work on his place.

"We good to go?" Annabeth's question startled him.

"Uh, yeah, I think so."

"You okay, Chris?"

"I'm good. Want this over is all."

"You and me both. Hey, Mark's got the door, how about one more game of "HORSE" while we wait?" Annabeth suggested.

"Oh, it's on like _Donkey Kong_ ," Chris sang as he stole the ball from her and ran outside.

Pulling up in front of the safe house, Sonja killed the engine and sat glaring at the front porch. This was a hell of a lot harder than she expected it to be. She thought she'd finally resigned herself to her and Chris's relationship status when little. Miss All-That-I've-Known-Him-Forever entered the picture. The worse part about the whole thing is she actually liked Annabeth.

Getting out of the car, Sonja slammed the door and made her way to the house door. She pulled out her badge, holding it next to her head when she knocked on the door. Mark checked the peephole before opening the door and letting her in.

"Hey, Percy, how's it going?" Mark asked as he stepped aside.

"Not too bad. How about yourself?"

"Not too bad," he repeated.

"Where's our two detainees?" Sonja laughed out.

"Out back playing B-ball. I'm pretty sure that LaSalle is losing again. Annabeth has many hidden talents," Mark answered.

"Yeah, so I've heard." Sonja made her way to the backyard to find two athletes in a friendly competition.

"Ha! That is H, O, R, S, E! You, Missy, lose!" Chris bragged as he dribbled around Annabeth.

"Enjoy it while you can, Bama. I'm still ahead. You've got a long, long, long way to go before you are even close."

"Nope, not the way I see it. This," he spun the ball on his finger, "this is the open door I've been waiting for. The gateway to my eventual conquering."

"Really?! Well don't get too use to that pedestal, my friend."

"I see we've regressed back to high school," Percy loudly said to announce her presence.

"High school? I resent that. I was going for middle school," Chris declared.

"Yeah, middle school," Annabeth agreed.

"Well, whatever. You two ready?" Sonja asked trying to be nonchalant.

"We're ready. Just gotta grab our bags," Chris replied, suddenly all business.

Annabeth followed meekly behind the pair watching them intently. She started analyzing their interactions with each other. It took all of three minutes for her to see it. Feeling chagrinned, Annabeth rationalized the delay by determining it was because a) she hadn't been expecting it and b) because of that fact, she wasn't looking for it either. Chris had a thing for Percy! Well, hell! That put a whole new spin on the situation. She allowed herself a brief grin as they piled into the car.

"What's that look for?" Chris asked suspiciously.

"I'm just happy to be leaving is all," Annabeth replied.

"Uh huh?" Chris grunted, not believing her for a second.

"Oh, don't get me wrong. Chez Safe House has been fabulous but I'm ready to get back out there. End this thing once and for all."

"I hear ya," Chris agreed. "It'll be nice to get on with our lives."

"Yep. I think I'll head for Italy. I might even send you a postcard, Bama."

"You damn well better!" Chris exclaimed.

"Why don't you go with her then she wouldn't have to worry about it?" Percy said, eyes locked on the road.

Chris started snickering. Annabeth squawked out a laugh. They couldn't keep their amusement in.

"We'd kill each other," Annabeth finally got out.

"Oh yeah, within a day or two," Chris agreed.

"Besides, who'd want to go to Italy, one of the most romantic places on the planet, with someone you consider a sibling?" Annabeth asked.

"What?" Sonja questioned finally stealing a glance in the rearview mirror.

"I am not into canoodling with my brother," Annabeth bluntly stated.

Sonja must've made a face because Chris said, "We tried one date way back and realized that we were truly friends, not couple material."

"Chris had a thing for Savanah and I really liked the point guard on the basketball team," Annabeth clarified, hoping the other woman would catch the hidden message.

Sonja's facial expression said she had. "You two are weird and a little scary. Mostly weird."

"Why thank you, my lady. We have achieved our goals," Annabeth laughed out.

"Does the city mouse admit she has finally met he match?" LaSalle questioned snidely.

"Oh, no way, country mouse! No! Way!" Sonja protested. Annabeth sat silently and watched the highly entertaining foreplay in the front seat.

The two coworkers bantered all the way back to the NCIS office. It was almost as if they'd forgotten Annabeth in the backseat, which suited her just fine. The message had gotten through to Percy. Now it was time to work on Chris. She knew him well and she knew there was no way he'd risk his job, rather the job, to fraternize with a coworker. Annabeth needed to figure out how to get him to change his mind. Delicate and stealthy were the key.

Annabeth formed a rough plan before they made it back. She briefly considered eliciting the help of the rest of the NCIS crew but quickly dismissed the idea. The others were strangers and where as there was no doubt about their willingness to support their teammates, there was still an unknown factor. It wasn't worth the risk that they might tell Pride. Better to go solo.

Annabeth was so involved in her scheme, she nearly jumped out of her skin when Chris touched her shoulder. "Have a pleasant vacation, princess?" he snarked.

"Nah, you were there," she teased back.

"Come on and get yourself inside," Chris ordered as he grabbed their bags.

Annabeth followed Sonja into the office, leaving Chris to take care of the luggage and bring up the rear. The entire team waited for them. It was a toss up between welcoming committee or firing squad. Annabeth and Chris stopped short with Chris dropping the bags, making gun shot like sounds which echoed in the room. He immediately moved to her side.

"Someone gonna tell us what's going on," Chris demanded.

"We've got a message from Dawson," Pride said.

"From the look of things, it's serious. When did it come in?" Chris asked.

"About ten minutes after you guys left the safe house," Gregorio said.

"It came in through Chris's work email. He didn't hack our system though. It was a direct send from a cyber cafe, an email address created there," Paton added.

"What's his threat?" Annabeth asked.

"What makes you thinking it was a threat?" Gregorio asked in surprise.

"It's Dawson," Chris and Annabeth said simultaneously.

"He stated that for every day he has to wait, he'll take one of us," Dwayne said.

"Dawson always was an eye-for-an-eye," Annabeth said. "So what are we going to do?"

"We're going to call his bluff," Dwayne replied.


	10. Chapter 10

Dwayne woke to the sound of breaking dishes and a muffled curse. Rubbing his hand over his face, he rolled over to see that it was 3:17 a.m., four hours after he went to bed. A louder, "damnit," brought him out of bed and on the way to the kitchen. He stood at the doorway, taking in the situation, not liking what he saw.

Annabeth stood over the sink holding a leaking milk jug. The trail of drops led to the fridge where a puddle indicated the scene of the accident. The door to the fridge wasn't quite shut. He wasn't sure but he'd guess something prevented it from closing.

"Can I help you with something?" Dwayne asked carefully.

"Only if you have your gun handy."

"What do you want me to shoot?" he asked coming up behind her, putting his hands on her shoulders.

"The idiot who put the milk off the edge of the shelf," Annabeth whispered vehemently.

"I'll get right on it. What were you trying to do?"

"I was trying to make some hot rum mild," she answered as she turned in his arms to face him.

"And the milk launched an attack. Please tell me the rum made a strategic retreat," Dwayne teased.

"It didn't get the memo in time, never made it to the front lines."

"Why don't you sit down and I'll get you something."

Annabeth didn't protest, sinking gratefully into a chair at the table, with a sigh. "Sorry I woke you."

"Eh, no big deal. What's keeping you up?" He moved about the kitchen with a practiced ease.

"I can't stop thinking if I leave it will solve all our problems," Annabeth replied.

Dwayne set up a cup down in front of her and pulled out a chair for himself. "Does your thought process include the scenario that ends up with you being dead?"

"But none of you would be dead. You'd all be safe," Annabeth stated. "It would be worth the sacrifice."

"Your life isn't a fair exchange! Not for ours! Not for anyone's!" Dwayne shouted, slamming his palm on the table surface.

"Like you wouldn't sacrifice your life for any one of your team!" Annabeth yelled back.

"I would in a heartbeat," he agreed, "but not before I tried every possible alternative option. Give this a chance."

"Dwayne, this plan exposes all of you. I can't in good conscious let you guys go through this. I can't."

"Annabeth, we are choosing to do this. It is not a matter of letting us."

She took a long sip from her cup, trying to come up with a firm rebuttal. "I hate it when you do that. You've always been very good at it. Damn it, King!"

"You know you're the only one that can make that name non complimentary," he pointed out.

"There has to be someone," Annabeth stated.

The pair sat sipping their drinks in silence until the cups were empty. Dwayne took the empties to the sink. Annabeth wiped up the mess on the floor. Switching off the lights, Dwayne guided her towards the stairs. She put up no protest. They climbed into bed and he pulled her into his arms, settling her against his chest as she buried her face in his neck.

An alarmingly loud phone brought the sleeping duo to full awareness with unrivaled expediency. Pride slapped the nightstand in a vain attempt to find the source. Annabeth rolled the opposite direction and threw the offending item at its owner.

"Make it shut up," she mumbled into the pillow.

"Pride," Dwayne growled into the phone.

"Agent Pride, did I wake you?" Director Vance asked nonchalantly.

Pride glanced at the bedside clock; 5:45 a.m. Do you want an honest answer, sir?"

Vance chuckled, "Not really."

"What can I do for you?" Pride asked as he carefully got out of bed so he wouldn't disturb his companion.

"It has come to my attention that there is a credible threat against our people by Caleb Dawson. I'd like to verify that from a reliable source and why I wasn't informed."

"It's true. Caleb Dawson has directly threatened LaSalle and Dupont. We were handling it in house to keep it quiet."

"How well is that working for you?" Vance asked knowingly.

"It's not. We are going to implement a different plan this morning," Dwayne explained as he started the coffee.

"And when exactly did you plan on telling the rest of us?" Vance asked.

"This morning," Pride answered. "I was going to call you at a decent hour."

"Dwayne, you have my full support, whatever you need. Take care of my agents," the director dictated.

"That's my intention." Dwayne hit the end button.

"How long have you known?"

Pride jumped, startled by the question. "Jeez, warn a guy."

"Answer me, please," Annabeth demanded from where she was leaning on the doorframe.

"Since you joined," he said as he pulled out two cups.

"Does Chris know?" she asked as she slid into a chair.

"No."

"It wasn't my choice. Keeping it a secret from him."

"I know it wasn't," Dwayne stated, passing her a cup and the creamer.

"He still can't know. As bad as this situation is, Chris knowing would be a thousand times worse," Annabeth said. She took a healthy swallow of her drink. Her nose wrinkled in disgust. "You're still drinking this swill? Really, King?"

"This is good stuff. You don't want to drink it, give me the cup back."

Annabeth slowly pushed the mug across the tabletop, handle facing him. Both studiously watched its progress, Dwayne reaching out to grab it just as she did the same. Her hand landed on top of his.

"We should probably get showered and start this day," Dwayne whispered.

She leaned towards him. "It would conserve water if we shared the shower."

"Might not save us any time though."

Annabeth rose, reached out to take Dwayne's hand and pulled him with her. "I'm sure we have plenty of time."

Following her up the stairs, they both started shedding clothes the minute they made it to his private apartment. Dwayne caught her hand as she lowered it after pulling her sleep shirt off. The kiss spoke volumes, past desires, current ones. Annabeth walked backwards, slowly getting them to the bathroom. Dwayne waved his hand behind him, trying to find the door while not breaking the kiss. Finally, finding purchase, he slammed it shut.


	11. Chapter 11

Chris and Sebastian sauntered into the offie to find Annabeth sitting at Pride's desk working on his computer and the man no where to be seen. Chris parked his hip on the edge of the desk and reached over to pull on Annabeth's braid. "Whatcha doing?"

"Checking email. King's in the kitchen," she replied, slapping his hand away.

"You know they monitor our internet use. Don't you be downloading anything illicit."

"Are you speaking from experience, Bama?"

He coughed and stood up without directly answering. "Any body else need a cup of coffee?" He said as he made his way to the kitchen.

Pride was mixing a batter of some sort when he was joined by LaSalle. "Mornin' Christopher. Would you like some crepes?"

"What are we filling them with today?"

"Annabeth requested berries but I might be able to scrape up something else if you want," Pride offered.

"I can do fruit, King. Actually sounds really good," Chris admitted.

"Call Annabeth would you? These are ready."

"No need, I can smell those babies from the street. I'm not even going to offer to help," Annabeth announced as she joined them. "Fork over the food, King."

Chris studied the interaction between his friend and his boss. There was something that he couldn't put his finger on, niggling at him. Neither of the other two were acting any different but he felt something odd. Resigning himself to the fact he'd have to wait until he could get Annabeth alone to grill her, he accepted a plate and sat down to eat.

"So, front lines but never alone," Annabeth stated bluntly.

"And you two are never to be together alone either," Pride said.

"When do we start this bait and trap?" Chris asked.

"As soon as everyone arrives. With luck Dawson will be behind bars within two days," Dwayne answered.

"Your mouth to God's ears," Annabeth muttered mostly to herself. If either man heard her, they didn't acknowledge it.

Voices from the main room indicated that Percy and Gregorio arrived. There was the usual cacophony of sounds indicating people getting ready for the work day. A chorus of greetings announced Patton's entrance. There were more settling noises before the rest of the group entered the kitchen. The three current occupants were finishing up.

"Can I get anyone anything?" Pride offered as he stood up and began clearing plates. He sat down again as the four newbies helped themselves.

"What do we do if we get a case?" Sonja asked, pouring her coffee.

"We work it," Pride said.

"What about Annabeth? We can't take her to a crime scene," Sebastian said.

"We can. Already cleared it with Director Vance. Annabeth will be with me," Pride declared.

"She'll be defenseless. She doesn't have a weapon," Tammy pointed out.

"I have a conceal and carry permit but I don't plan on concealing," Annabeth informed her.

Standing up again, Pride announced, "Let's get to work."

Annabeth volunteered to clean up the kitchen since she didn't have a desk or duties in New Orleans. Everyone else delved into the piles of paperwork holding their desks down. LaSalle decided to clear out his email since he hadn't been able to touch it in over a week. A quiet, eery calm settled over the team. By lunchtime, they were all jittery with tension.

Pride had asked Loretta to swing by with food for everyone. The relief was palpable when she arrived. "Loretta, you didn't have any problems did you?"

"None at all. Don't think I was followed either," she said before he could ask.

"Good. That's good. Percy go get Patton and Sebastian," Pride directed as he took the bags from Loretta to put them in the kitchen.

Everyone followed the delivery smells to dig their way through the bags to reach the delectable items inside. Food was rapidly distributed and they all found a spot at the table. Annabeth sat between Pride and LaSalle so she could observe the dynamics of the team and so she could snitch dump truck fries from the guys (mostly so she could steal the fries). The team chatted and joked as they ate. Percy noticed that neither man even blinked an eye when Annabeth helped herself, not that she took more than two fries from either guy but still. Now wasn't that interesting.

The slightly jovial mood was broken when Pride and Dr. Wade's phones went off simultaneously. The both grimaced as they read the messages.

"We got a body."

"Time to go to work."

Their announcements came at the same time and everyone jumped into action. Food containers were hastily tossed as the team partnered up to leave. Patton waved the others on before they could even try to do more.

"Sonja, Christopher you head out. Gregorio, stay with Patton to coordinate from here. Sebastian, keep Loretta company. Annabeth let's go." Dwayne extracted his gun from the cabinet and headed for the cars.

Percy waited exactly two blocks before she laid into LaSalle. "What in the hell was that?" she said while pounding the steering wheel.

LaSalle turned an utterly confused face to her. "I have no idea what you're referring to and why in the hell you're so mad."

"That little menage a trois at lunch," Sonja spit out.

His faced showed even more confusion. "What?"

"Oh my god! You didn't even realize what was going on!"

"What the hell is your problem? Just spit it out," LaSalle demanded.

"If I tried eating off your plate you'd slap my hands faster than you can blink."

Chris sat back into his seat, studying her carefully. He watched as she flexed her fingers on the wheel, sucked in a breath and let it out with a noisy huff. "It's not like that between us," he whispered.

"Sure doesn't look that way," Sonja protested.

"We're really close friends. I think of her as my sister," Chris said, still whispering.

"Humph."

"Annabeth is hooking up with King," Chris said.

Sonja almost slammed on the brakes. "Say what?!"

"Well, I'm not 100% positive but yeah, they're knocking boots."

"That might explain Pride's lack of reaction," she said after a minute of contemplation.

"Nah, they've always been like that too," Chris informed her.

Sonja was really glad they were at a stoplight with the latest revelation. "You mean they were together back then?"

"What? No. Pride was married," Chris stated.

"That doesn't stop some men."

Chris looked appalled. "I'm seriously going to believe you didn't think before you said that. This is King we're talking about and you don't even know Annabeth."

The remainder of the ride was accomplished in complete silence. Chris fuming, so angry that he can't form words. Sonja mentally chastising herself for letting her mouth get away from her. She actually didn't care a whit about what was going on between Annabeth and Pride, she was concerned about what was going on between LaSalle and the annoying, pretty lady.

The minute Percy put the car in park, Chris got out and stormed away. He shoved the last twenty minutes to the side and looked for the guy in charge of the scene. A couple of fire fighters pointed him towards the fire chief. He walked up to the guy and waited to get the details.

He had the complete story to relate back when the rest of the team arrived. Chris joined Pride and Annabeth as they exited the car. "Well, this one is going to be interesting," he announced to the pair.

"Tell me," Pride demanded.

"NOFD was called to the warehouse fire. They were able to extinguish the flames fairly quickly. Once they got it out though, that's where it gets interesting."

"Define interesting," Pride requested.

"I think we should see it for ourselves," LaSalle stated already heading towards the inside of the warehouse.

The pair followed behind him as he picked his way through the burnt debris. They arrived to find Dr. Wade already working her preliminary inspection. All three abruptly halted at the sight before them. The body was on its knees, hunched over with his forehead touching the floor. The posture resembled a Muslim in prayer.

It took Dwayne a minute to absorb what he was seeing before he could ask, "You know anything yet, Loretta?"

"Well, I need to get him on the table to confirm but I'd say he was lit on fire while alive. There's evidenced of what appears to be melted plastic around his forearms and upper thighs, suggesting he was posed."

"The victim is male then?" LaSalle semi asked.

"Preliminary inspection says so," Dr. Wade replied.

"Pride, firefighter found these piled by the back entrance," Sebastian said, holding out evidence bags as he approached. "It's why we were called in."

Pride surveyed the packages, choosing the one that appeared to have a set of credentials in it. He flipped it over to reveal Naval id. "Chief Petty Officer Marcus Davidson. Call it in to Patton," Pride directed when he handed the items back. "Scout around. Learn things."

An hour later, as Dr. Wade finished getting the body ready for transport, the team wrapped up what they could at the scene. Pride and Annabeth left first. Sebastian bummed a ride with LaSalle and Percy. He barely refrained on commenting when LaSalle crawled into the backseat. After a couple of attempts at small talk on Sebastian's part, there was no conversation.

They were the first to get back. Percy and LaSalle veered off, separating themselves with as much distance as possible. Sebastian stood in the middle of the main room, swinging his head back and forth between his two coworkers. When it became apparent neither of the two would be rejoining him, he threw his hands in the air in surrender.

Luckily Pride came in at that moment. "Where is everyone? Sebastian, round them up," he directed as he put his gun in the cabinet.

Sebastian, clearly not thrilled, muttered, "Yeah, okay," and went to do as directed.

Everyone slowly trickled in, each gathering in the center aisle. Percy made an obvious move to plant herself as far away from Pride, LaSalle and Annabeth as she could while still being a part of the group. Her act didn't go unnoticed but nobody said anything.

"Okay, I'm going to state the obvious, this is Dawson's work," Dwayne declared.

"Are you sure?" Tammy questioned, playing the devil's advocate.

"One hundred percent. He's drawing us out," Chris stated.

"He's playing right into our hands," Pride said. "Unfortunately, he's decided to include innocent bystanders."

"I disagree," Annabeth stated. "Dawson is sick enough, but he wouldn't choose someone at random. Yes, he's trying to draw us out but I can guarantee this victim has another meaning, a purpose."

"Annabeth's right. There's no way he'd pass on the opportunity to take full advantage of the situation," Chris confirmed.

"Do we have proof that it was Dawson?" Sonja asked.

"Patton does," Tammy answered before Patton could.

"What've you got?" Pride questioned.

Patton went to work on his keyboard as he talked, "I pulled all the surveillance from the near by buildings and street cams. Watch for it."

The scene was one they had all seen a dozen times. A nondescript sedan came from down the street, waited for a door to open and then pulled in. Patton fast forwarded the next thirty minutes or so until the door opened again. He froze the frame as the driver's side door cleared the doorframe.

"Right there," Patton exclaimed needlessly.

"Why'd he make it so obvious?" Sonja asked, completely confused, as she stared with the others at the perfectly captured picture of Caleb Dawson.

"Because he's not afraid," Annabeth stated coldly.

Patton started the video feed again. About ten minutes after Dawson drove away, smoke tendrils eked their way out of the upper windows. Another ten minutes or so, they could see flames licking at the lower windows. He cut the feed.

"We know the rest," LaSalle said.

The video conference bleeped before anyone could respond. "I've got some preliminaries if you're ready," Dr. Wade announced as she appeared on the screen.

"What you got?" Pride asked.

"Chief Petty Officer Davidson died from a single gun shot wound to the chest," she stated flatly.

"So he was dead before the fire?" Annabeth questioned, doubt heavy in her tone. "That is not Dawson's MO."

"There is no evidence of smoke inhalation in his lungs," Loretta said.

"So this is definitely bait," Chris stated.

"We've got him. Patton, can you track the car?" Dwayne asked.

"Already running," Patton replied. He typed a few more things on his keyboard and the picture changed on the screen.

The group watched the car's progression through the city. It was plain Dawson was headed for Clearwater. An area with no street cameras.

"Man, I'm really getting to dislike Clearwater. Not the people, just the area," Sonja complained.

Not knowing the complete backstory, Annabeth turned a surprised gaze on the other woman. "Unfortunately, Clearwater is the perfect place to hide out. I'm guessin' from y'alls familiarity with the area as of late, you might have some idea of where we need to look."


	12. Chapter 12

Annabeth was correct. The team had a pretty good idea and it didn't take long before they were surrounding another abandoned warehouse with the help of NOPD. Christopher and Annabeth were being babysat by two officers back near the command center. With Pride in the lead, the warehouse was quickly searched and declared empty except for the sedan Dawson used in Davidson's murder.

Dwayne issued instructions to the team. Any clue, hell, anything was better than what they had, which amounted to nothing. He would forever deny it but he still stormed out of the warehouse towards the command area. A quick glance around yielded neither of his teammates. The hair on the back of his neck stood up.

"Thompson, where's LaSalle and Dupont?" Pride asked a young officer standing near by.

The kid looked around and pointed to a patrol car. "They were sitting on the hood last time I looked."

"Where's Baxter and LaGrande, the two officers that were with them?"

"Who?" Thompson asked confused.

"Baxter and LaGrande," Pride repeated. He was already moving to check around the squad.

"I don't know who they are. Never heard of them," Thompson replied, already joining the older man.

Looking completely around the car, they found no evidence of either person. Pride stood at the back of the car and scanned the area. Thompson mimicked his actions from the other corner. Dwayne couldn't find any indicator as to the pairs whereabouts. He turned back to Thompson to see the man staring at the hedge.

"You got something?"

"I'm not sure. Looks like it could be a pant leg," he responded already unholstering his weapon and walking across the road.

Pride followed, weapon also drawn, searching the surroundings for a threat. The office reached the area where he'd seen the clothing. Checking to make sure Pride covered him, he holstered his gun and pulled back the lower branches to reveal a leg. Pushing more limbs aside he uncovered a full body, on its side, facing away from them.

Pride immediately recognized his friend. Securing his gun, he dropped to his knees and placed his fingers to check for a pulse. "It's Chris! He's alive! Go get a paramedic!"

Thompson rushed to do Pride's biding. Soon there were paramedics and equipment all over. Dwayne didn't take his eyes off his friend until he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"What's going on?" Sonja asked, unable to see around the first responders.

"It's LaSalle. He's unconscious. Not sure if there's more," Dwayne stated.

"Oh, god," Tammy exclaimed.

Pride hadn't realized everyone was there. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. "We need to find Annabeth. Split up and find her!"

"But what about," Sonja started to protest as she realized Pride was going to go with rather than stay with Chris.

Pride cut her off. "Thompson is going to stay glued to Christopher's side. We need to find Annabeth!"

"We're ready for transport. You coming, King?" one of the paramedics shouted.

"Thompson is going with."

"Let's roll," the same paramedic declared. Officer Thompson fell in line without question. He didn't have to follow Pride's orders, he wanted to.

The team fanned out, searching for Annabeth. They questioned those they didn't know and let those they did help. A fruitless hour later, everyone gathered back at the command center. There was no sign of their friend or the two officers who'd been assigned to guard her and LaSalle.

Dwayne paced back and forth in frustration. "We've got nothing! How can we have nothing?"

"Patton ran Baxter and LaGrande. They don't exist, not as NOPD at least. He's still running them through the system," Gregorio said.

"He's not going to find them. Dawson wouldn't have used someone so easily traceable," Pride said. "I'm going to head to the hospital."

"We're coming with you," Sebastian announced. No one argued.

The ride to the hospital was tense in both vehicles. Once there, it didn't take long fro them to be told that LaSalle was still being evaluated and they would have to wait in the waiting room. The nurse would make sure someone would be out to talk with them as soon as they knew what was going on. She even confirmed the security before they could ask.

How two hours could feel like an eternity would never be explained. The entire team had set up shop in a corner of one room, trying to stay out of the way. Dwayne had asked NOPD for assistance in searching for Annabeth so the team could concentrate on Christopher. He was having a hard time doing nothing and was getting ready to send people out when a doctor appeared at the door.

"Agent Pride?" the doctor announced.

Pride walked right up to him. "How's he doing, doc?"

"Do you mind if we sit down?" the doctor asked motioning to a bank of chairs. After sitting, the doctor let out a bone weary sigh. "Agent LaSalle was drugged. "We've identified the substance as propofol. He also has a contusion behind his left ear. We're surmising the propofol was administered after he was pistol whipped. The drug depressed his breathing enough that he's been put on a ventilator. He also has a moderate concussion and is still unconscious."

"What's the prognosis?" Pride asked.

The doctor sighed again. "It depends on if we can get his respiratory system working correctly. The next twenty-four hours are our bellwether." He stood up at that point. "I'll send an aid out when he's settled in ICU step down and ready for visitors."

"Thanks, Doc," Sebastian said as he shook the man's hand.

After the man had left, Pride turned to the group. "Alright, we need to get back to work."

"I wanna see Chris before we leave," Sonja said.

Dwayne studied her for a long moment. "Fine," he relented, "the rest of us will head back to HQ. We need to find Annabeth."

"Do you want me to call his family?" Tammy asked.

"Nah, I'll do it. Christopher's family can be interesting," Pride answered.

Sonja watched them leave, feeling somewhat relieved. She had a lot to say to LaSalle and she really didn't want any witnesses. Sitting back down, she put her head back and closed her eyes. She was okay with the wait as she needed to get her thoughts in order.

It was another hour or so later when a nurse came to direct Percy to LaSalle's room. He had a private room but a large window looked out on a nurse's station. An officer she recognized stood sentry at the door.

"You've got ten minutes," the nurse said as she pushed the door open for Sonja.

Sonja nodded to both the nurse and the guard. Slowly entering the room, she catalogued all the equipment. The whoosh of the ventilator startled her. She moved to the bedside, keeping her back to the window. She didn't need anyone trying to read her lips.

"Jeez, country mouse, what the hell." The words failed her for a moment. "Chris, I am so sorry for the way I acted. I have no idea why I let it get to me like that. I just need you to wake up so I can apologize properly."

The ventilator whooshed again. Sonja reached out to take his hand. "When this is over and Dawson's behind bars again, we're going to discuss the elephant in the room. I don't want to ignore what's going on between us. Just warning you."

A bell dinged from the head of the bed. Sonja was trying to figure out the source when a different nurse came in the room. "I'm sorry but your time is up."

"Yeah, right. Sorry."

The nurse's expression was full of compassion. "No need to be sorry. I wish I could change the rules." She held out a bag towards Sonja. "These are his personal affects. Considering what they are, you should probably take them with you."

It took a moment for the meaning to sink in. "Oh, his gun! Yeah, I'll take it back to the office," Sonja stuttered out.

"His wallet and phone are all in there too. Plus other things," the nurse added.

"Thank you," Sonja replied taking the bag. "I'll take care of it." Leaving the hospital was one of the hardest thing she'd ever done.

She wouldn't ever recall the drive back to HQ. Walking into the office, everyone froze when they saw her. Percy walked over to Chris's desk and put his things down before acknowledging them. "He's still unconscious and intubated. The nurse gave me his stuff."

Pride broke the silence that followed, "We'd better secure his gun." He picked up the bag and pulled it open. Reaching inside, he rummaged around and pulled out the gun and badge. A piece of paper fluttered to the ground.

"What's that?" Sebastian asked as he reached down to pick it up. Unfolding it, his face paled. "Dwayne, you need to read this." He handed it over by the corner.

Pride took the paper by the same corner, concern showing. "If you want Annabeth Dupont cal this number 555-3323."

"What the hell," Gregorio said. Pride was already dialing.

"Agent Pride, I've been expecting your call. It took you long enough," Dawson said upon answering.

"Where's Annabeth?" Pride growled.

"Patience my friend," Dawson chuckled

"What do you want, Dawson?"

"I didn't think you'd be the type to ask rhetorical questions."

"I want to speak to her before and after you deliver your demands," Pride snarled.

"I don't think you're in a position to be dictating terms," Dawson said snidely.

"I won't negotiate unless I know she's alive. You know how these things go," Dwayne stated coldly.

"Dwayne," a weak voice came over the line.

"Annabeth!"

"He hasn't hurt me yet," she said carefully.

"Annabeth, we're going to get you out of this."

"Take care of Chris. Hey, at least we had Baton Rouge."

"Alright that's enough. Have LaSalle at the address I'll text you in the morning within two hours," Dawson ordered.

"LaSalle is unconscious," Pride informed him.

"Not my problem. Now have your quick speak."

Annabeth voice came on again, "Baton Rouge."

"Annabeth!" Pride yelled back but the line was dead. "Please tell me you got something!"

Patton, who'd started a trace the second Pride dialed, shook his head. "It's a burner. I got it narrowed to a five mile radius around the cell tower."

"Damn it!" Dwayne exploded, swinging his arm and knocking off a stapler and a cup in the process.

"What did she mean by Baton Rouge?" Percy questioned as they all ignored his outburst.

Dwayne turned to face her. "It's a… It's a code word."

"We got that but what's it mean?" Percy reiterated, interrupting.

"It means to walk away. She's telling us to let her go and walk away."

"What the hell!" Sonja yelled. "She really expects us to simply turn our backs."

"It's what she wants," he confirmed.

"But we're not going to do that," Gregorio said.

"No, we are not." Pride's phone rang. "It's the hospital."

Everyone was deathly quiet as they waited for Pride to get the update. The man's face gave nothing away. None of them would be called patient so the wait was excruciating. Sebastian even started chewing on his lip, a sure sign of nervousness.

"Okay, thank you," Pride finally said, ending the call. "Christopher is awake and responsive but he's still having trouble breathing. He's still relying on the ventilator."

"Is he going to be okay?" Tammy asked.

"Doctors are hoping to wean him off it by morning."

"Well, that's good news," Sonja exclaimed.

"Yeah but it doesn't help us with Annabeth," Sebastian said.

"No it doesn't. We're going to need to think outside the box," Dwayne decided.

"Can we do anything before we know what Dawson wants?" Tammy wondered.

"No," Dwayne admitted wearily. "Finish up and call it a day. Be back here bright and early. Dawson isn't going to catch us resting on our laurels."

"Where are you going?" Tammy asked as Pride started gathering some things.

"I'm spending the night with Christopher. Call if you need me," Pride informed them. He left without saying another word.


	13. Chapter 13

Chris slowly pulled his senses back online. He could hear various noises of a hospital at night. The scent of antiseptic was just shy of being overwhelming. He tamped down the choking feeling as the ventilator pushed a rescue breath. Squinting, for fear of being blinded like last time, he tried to scan his room. Finding the room darkened, he widened his gaze to see Dwayne sitting in a recliner next to the bed.

He must have made some sort of noise because Dwayne jerked up and leaned towards him. "Chris?"

Chris rolled his eyes in answer, hoping it conveyed his question as well. It must have worked. "Two a.m.," Pride said.

Chris raised his brows and then quickly frowned.

"Yeah, Dawson's got Annabeth."

Christopher didn't even pause to think. He reached up to grab the tubes at his mouth. Dwayne jumped up and grabbed his hands, pulling them down to pin them over his chest. Chris tried to protest but couldn't struggle effectively.

"Christopher, stop! You're going to injure yourself further!" Dwayne pleaded.

LaSalle glared hard at his friend. In any other circumstances, the look would have been as intimidating as it was intended. As is was, the ventilator activated and the heart monitor beeped, reminding both men of their current situation. The patient slumped back against the bed in frustration.

A nurse knocked on the door. "Everything alright in here?" he asked.

Chris raised his hand, thumb up, to reassure the man. It was a lot of effort and he was already blinking heavily. He was asleep the second his eyes closed too long.

Pride smiled wearily at his friend and turned to the nurse. "We're okay. Sorry for causing concern."

"Just remember, he needs his rest and to stay calm."

"Sorry," Pride repeated. The guy nodded and left the pair alone. Dwayne sank back into his chair with a sigh. It was going to be a long night.

Someone came every hour or so to check on the patient. Dwayne lightly dozed but never fully slept. Around five, there were whispered mentions of being able to pull the vent soon. Dwayne marveled at the other man's ability to sleep through all the ruckus. He finally decided that if he wanted to function even semi-normally, coffee was of the highest priority, that and food. Pride chatted briefly with the officer on guard to let her know where he was going and headed towards the cafeteria.

Sitting in a corner, leaning back against the wall, Pride jerked upright. He'd dozed off. Glancing at his phone, he let out a soft, "Shit!" He'd been there for almost two hours. Quickly tossing his half eaten meal, he rushed back to LaSalle's room. The view had changed, there was a lot less equipment surrounding his friend.

Christopher lay, eyes closed, breathing on his own. Dwayne walked as quietly as he could over to his chair. He couldn't stop the relieved sigh that escaped. LaSalle was on the mend, they could concentrate on getting Annabeth back. Looking at the time, he figured someone would be in the office. After an incredibly brief internal debate, he made the call from where he was sitting.

"Pride. How's LaSalle?" Gregorio asked bypassing a standard greeting.

"Better. He's off the vent, only a nasal cannula. So what's the plan?"

"I'm not even gonna ask. We figure we can do this with some smoke and mirrors. Chris being able to talk will be a huge help. We've already picked out a decoy. We can project LaSalle's voice through a phone."

"A decoy?" Pride repeated.

"No decoy! I'll be there in person," Chris rasped firmly.

Dwayne focused on the man in the bed. "You're in no condition."

"Dawson will spot a decoy a mile away. It has to be me," LaSalle coughed.

"That LaSalle?" Tammy's question came through the phone.

Pride pushed a button. "You're on speaker, Gregorio. Christopher."

LaSalle waved his hand to preempt the argument. "What's the plan?"

"Dawson hasn't called back with the location but this is what we've got so far." Tammy detailed the plan, pausing to accommodate LaSalle's coughing jag.

"It's not a solid plan," Pride pointed out when she finished.

"Yeah, it's got a ton of holes but it's the best we came up with, not having all the info," she refuted.

"It'll work," Chris stated as he swung his leg over the edge of the bed. "Do me a favor and find someone to finish unhooking me."

Dwayne looked resigned. "Just stay there for a minute," he ordered Chris. "Tammy, I'll let you know when we're on our way."

Standing, LaSalle searched for his clothes, moving his gaze around the room. Spying them, he looked at his IV, doing some mental calculations. Hand me my pants before you go get a nurse and the paperwork."

Recognizing the younger man's stature, Dwayne didn't argue. He snagged the pile of clothing he'd brought with him and dropped it within easy reach. "I'll be right back."

There's many reasons Chris hated hospitals. The top position jostled around depending upon the situation. Currently winning was speed or rather the lack of. Paper processing and IV removal shouldn't take hours, yet here they are still waiting.

"That's it!" Chris declared, starting to pick at the tape on the back of his hand.

"And what, pray tell, do you think you're doing?" a very annoying screech voiced from the doorway.

Chris didn't need to look up to identify the person behind the not so dulcet tone. It was the nurse he'd privately dubbed Broomhilda; he thinks her name is actually Angela. "Exactly what you think. Now are you here to help or harp?"

"Well since it's apparent we can't get through that thick skull of yours, I'm here to take out your IV. The paperwork should be here shortly."

Once the process actually started, Chris was discharged A.M.A. and ensconced in Pride's car on the way to the office. Neither man had spoken to the other since LaSalle received his pants. They were at a detente and neither was willing to make the first move towards ending it.

It wasn't exactly a mob scene upon their arrival but close enough. The only one who held back was Sonja but no one seemed to notice. Chris accepted their attention with grace but he really wanted to sit down. Sebastian caught his frantic search for a chair and hurriedly pushed a desk chair up and held his bicep to direct him down.

"Thanks, Sebastian," he rasped.

"Slow, easy breaths," Pride coached. "Tammy, get him some water."

Chris started wheezing. Tammy handed him the water but he couldn't hold it steady. She helped him as he took a sip.

"You'e a damn fool! You should still be in the hospital!" Sonja snapped. She stormed out of the room.

Several pairs of hands tried vainly to keep LaSalle in the chair. "I need to talk to her. I'm fine, let me up."

It took him forever to get to the courtyard. His steps as measured as his breathing. Sonja sat at one of tables with her back to the doors. "Mind if I join you?" he asked as he carefully sat down.

"So it wouldn't have mattered if I said no," Sonja snapped.

"No, not really. You wanna tell me what that was all about?"

She huffed, "You know exactly what it's about. You should still be in the hospital."

"You know I can't do that. I have to help get Annabeth back."

"It's all about Annabeth isn't it."

"Right now, yes. It has to be."

"What about you? What about your health? Your safety?"

LaSalle started shaking his head no. "That doesn't matter right now. She's my friend. I'd do the same for King, anyone on the team. That isn't what this is about though, is it?"

"I don't know what you mean?" Sonja denied.

"Yes, you do," Chris countered, "and that is the reason why work place relationships shouldn't happen."

"What? So you expect me to turn them off?" Sonja hissed, slamming her hand on the table.

Chris shifted in his chair. "No, I know it's not that easy. I do expect you to lock 'em down and get the job done."

"Hey, guys, Dawson just sent his text," Gregorio yelled from the door.

In the rush to get back to the main room, Chris lost his breath and started coughing. He grabbed at the wall for support. It was bad enough he was bent almost double. Pride rushed to help. He snagged a chair to force LaSalle into it and started to rub his back.

"Someone get a glass of water."

He didn't need to issue the command. Sebastian shoved a glass into Pride's hand and his boss raised it to Chris's mouth. "Slow sips, slow sips."

Try as he might, Chris couldn't comply with the directive. He felt close to losing consciousness. Black spots were swimming in his sight. His hand latched onto Pride's arm. Dwayne caught him as he passed out.

Chris awoke to hear everyone arguing over wether to call an ambulance or not. "I'm good," he whispered. When no one acknowledged him, he coughed and spoke a little louder, "I'm good."

Dwayne snapped his head back towards his friend. "Take it easy," he ordered as Chris tried to sit up from his prone position on the floor. He helped Chris to sit upright against Pride to keep the position.

"How long was I out?"

"A few minutes, as soon as you relaxed, your breathing evened out."

"I cost us time," LaSalle stated.

"Not that much," Pride said and then lowered his voice so only Chris could hear, "You good? Really?" Chris simply nodded. "Alright, let's get this party started."


	14. Chapter 14

Dawson was no fool. The place he chose was an open field, no cover visible. Chris dropped his passenger off a safe distance away, proceeding forward on his own. He stopped at the rock pile Dawson indicated in his text. Putting the car in park, he slowly got out, closed the door and moved around to sit on the hood to take in the scene.

A nondescript blue sedan approached from the west. When it got within fifty feet, it stopped. Chris could easily see Annabeth in the driver's seat. There was someone in the backseat, passenger side, but their face was obscured by the pulled down visor.

A disembodied voice came from the car. "Christopher LaSalle, good to see you again. I see you've finally learned to follow directions. A good improvement"

Chris didn't respond, the voice went on, "Dispensing with the chit chat, I like that. Okay, so here's how this is going to work. You are going to throw your keys into the grass and then you're going to walk towards this car. We are going to talk face to face."

LaSalle walked backwards till he was parallel to the driver's side window. He reached in, pulled out the keys and tossed them, eyes never leaving the car. He followed the rest of the instructions to a tee all the while watching Annabeth for any type of sign.

When he got to the designated spot, the backdoor opened and Caleb Dawson stepped out. "Alright you've got us both here. What do you want cause whatever it is, you ain't gettin' it till you release Annabeth," LaSalle said.

"You sound breathy. How's those lungs?"

"Fine. You're stalling, Dawson. Why?"

"I wanted to reconnect. It has been such a long time," Dawson explained. He slowly moved his arm so his jacket would separate, revealing the 9mm tucked into his waist.

"So you're armed. Didn't expect anything else."

"You've always been smart, LaSalle, so you know neither of us is leaving this place alive."

"Yeah, I know that but I couldn't let Annabeth be alone."

"Faithful friend to the end. Admirable." Dawson pulled his gun and aimed.

A shot rang out. Caleb Dawson twitched. He spun and caught sight of a figure in a gilly suit at the edge of the field holding a sniper rifle. He fell to the ground with a grunt. Chris walked over to Dawson, yanked his arms behind him and cuffed him. He took long enough to search for the keys and a remote. Finding nothing, LaSalle stood and went around the car to Annabeth.

Annabeth's eyes were wide and she was moving them back and forth franticly but she wasn't moving any other part of her body. "Hang on, I'll have you outta there in a jiffy."

"You and I both know that's not going to happen," she scoffed.

Chris softened his gaze. "I know. I was trying for galant." He opened the door.

"You activated the bomb when you opened the door. If you run now, you might make it."

"You aren't going to die alone."

Around the field, four agents started towards the car. Pride pulled off the hood of his suit as he approached. They all watched Christopher walk up to the driver's side and pull on the handle. Door open, he reached in to cut the ties securing Annabeth's hands to the steering wheel.

The explosion was large enough to propel Dawson about twenty feet even though he was sitting on the ground. All four NCIS agents, after a stunned pause, ran like hell to the burning car. Gregorio already had her phone out, calling for the fire department. Sonja was screaming but not aware of doing so. Pride and Sebastian reached the area first.

Dawson was moaning when the pair got to his side. Pride roughly rolled him over, not caring if he made the injuries worse. It didn't look like Dawson would make it anyway.

"You son of a bitch," Pride yelled. Dawson started harshly laughing. "What the hell are you laughing at?"

Dawson coughed and spat out blood. "They both died knowing LaSalle was the cause." He issued a wet chuckle and died.

Pride turned around and tried to take in the scene. The blaze had already diminished to just the interior of the car, it had burned so hot. Tammy was running with a fire extinguisher. Where she found it, he didn't know. Sonja still stood in place where she'd been hiding, but she was no longer screaming. Sebastian hurried over to help Tammy. He could hear the sirens in the distance.

It was surreal, being on the outside, the victims of a crime. Not being able to work the scene. The four agents sat far enough away to not interfere and to be able to answer questions from NOPD. Watching another coroner's team deal with the bodies because Dr. Wade was too personally involved, made all of them itch. It was completely wrong.

"Oh, my god! What happened?"

Dwayne looked up to see Loretta standing in front of them. "It was a complete set up. Dawson had no intention of walking away from this and he made sure to take Christopher and Annabeth with him."

"Oh!"

"The bomb activated when Chris opened the door and when he reached in to release Annabeth, it went off," Dwayne muttered, his tone heavy with grief.

She'd been briefed by the police chief so none of what he said was actual news, but she kept the act going to help the team. "I'm here to drive you back, so come on," Loretta said as she reached down to take his arm. "NOPD will take care of the cars."

"I'm not leaving them," Dwayne declared.

"Dr. Peterson is very good. He'll keep me informed. I promise," Loretta stated.

Dwayne allowed her to pull him up. "Come on gang," he said to the others.

The team slowly followed their boss to Dr. Wade's car. The sullen group got into the vehicle without protest. They were like preschoolers, following the leader without question. A group of people too stunned to react.

Everyone looked around the office like they expected it to be different, to change physically in recognition of their loss. Dwayne closely watched Sonja as she paraded into the room. He was worried about her reaction as she hadn't spoken since the explosion. He watched as she froze, waiting. As she finally broke down into tears, Tammy was quicker to get to her side, to pull her into an embrace. Dwayne turned to Loretta and allowed her to pull him into a similar embrace. Sebastian and Patton joined Dwayne and Loretta's hug.

There's a grief that can't be spoken. There's a pain goes on and on. Empty chairs at empty tables. Now my friends are dead and gone.


End file.
